Abraham made no progress so long as Terah was present
So long as Terah was living they pitched their tent at Haran, when they ought to have been in Canaan
Genesis 11:31
We need as Christians to distinguish between:

Pressing on with the Lord
or:
Following Him at a distance

Caleb whole heartedly followed the Lord
He that honours me I will honour
Need to run with a whole heart in the commandments of the Lord
Abraham wasn’t running with a whole heart in Genesis chapter 11

Was Abraham caught between human affinity to his father and obedience to God
Consider the significance of family ties here
Secular pressures can draw us away from obedience to the Lord
It is easy to find excuses for not going on with God when the real problem is the flesh.
How close are we walking with God?

Gods work cannot be thwarted
Gods mind cannot be frustrated

“Into the land of Canaan he came,” (12:5)
Abraham didn’t stay on the fringes of Canaan 12:6
Abraham passed through the land
Don’t stay on the fringes of Christian experience

God singles out Abraham for blessing Genesis 12:7

Are we in the enjoyment of fellowship with Christ?
Luke 24:52-53
Enjoying Christ in our own souls
Genesis 12:6 the canaanite was still in the land and thus Abraham had to stand in witness to a hostile, idolatrous and immoral world.
We live in a world that is fleeting transient and passing
Canaanites were opposed to everything that God was about
Abraham stood in testimony to the Canaanites by raising his altar to the true and living God
We need to raise an altar where we are to God
Between superstition and superficial religion there is but a fine dividing line, cf. Mars hill, “to the unknown God”

Abrahams back sliding
The Spirit of God will record :

Faith
Fidelity
Faults
Failing

Genesis 12:10 Abraham goes down into Egypt
Yesterday’s confidence and faith will not suffice for tomorrow
“Let Him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall”
Abrahams sojourn in Egypt is followed by lies and deception
No tent
No altar
No God speaking
When Abraham is in Egypt
God imparts not only saving grace but restoring grace
Recovery 13:1 he came up out of Egypt
Abraham was the friend of God
We are not only the friends of God we are the sons of God